Curivari Buenaventura BV-500

Purchased: 5.25 X 50 (Box-pressed Robusto)
Price: $32.95
Store: CigarPlace.biz
Buy Again: Yes!
Box Worthy: Absolutely

Again we have a cigar that has no business being this good for how inexpensive it is. Like its sibling, the Reserva Limitada Cafe Noir 56 I just reviewed, I’m blown away by the quality and flavor of this smoke. And that a box of these can be had for $62.95 seems like stealing. It’s simply amazing that a brand like Curivari flies under the radar! But considering there are so many brands out there, it’s not surprising either.

And similar to the Cafe Noir – and truthfully all three of the lines I purchased – the construction of this cigar is flawless. No visible seams and only small veins appear on the wrapper. The wrapper on the BV-500 is slightly oily with a gorgeous tooth. These also seem to have had plenty of box aging as the wrapper was nice and yellowed from exuded oils. This also has a light, Padron-like draw that produces copious amounts of smoke despite how loose it is.

But unlike the Cafe Noir which is about nuance and complexity, the BV-500 takes a much bolder approach. At light-up I was greeted with a wallop of black and red pepper like a smack in the face. That soon gave way to mouth-coating creaminess and roasted nuts and cedar.

The first third added a slightly mineral twang along with more black pepper, and surprisingly enough, melba toast. The burn got a little wonkey (it seems that it’s a trait of box-pressed cigars) and I had to make a couple of corrections, but it settled down by the time I got to the second third.

Into the second third, a mild sourness started to surface. I actually had to catch myself because I wasn’t sure I was really tasting it. But I referred to a couple of reviews and both mentioned sour cream. I didn’t get that, but it makes sense as the creaminess really started picking up here. Classic Nic puro coffee and cocoa entered the fray as well as more of that mineral-like twang. The finish became loooooong.

Like the Cafe Noir, this stick isn’t lacking in smoke production, which is uncanny for such a light stick. And while the BV-500’s burn rate is a bit faster than the Cafe Noir, it’s not a speed demon either. I’m estimating this smoke will take an hour. The Cafe Noir, on the other hand, took me an hour and forty-five minutes to finish down to the nub, but it’s a bigger cigar, so it’s understandable.

On a side note, even though this is a robusto, the box pressing makes it feel like a corona in hand. I’m quite partial to coronas as they have much more intense flavors. And the BV-500 is pretty intense. As for strength, it has stayed at a solid medium+ from the get-go and even into the final third where I’m at, while the flavors have intensified, the strength has only increased ever so slightly.

Not much change in the flavor profile going into the final third, but that’s okay. The nicotine has picked up a bit like the Cafe Noir, but it’s not kicking my ass. As for the flavor profile, all the ones I mentioned are still present in a very nice balance. That’s probably the best word to describe this stick. It’s balanced.

Well, like the Cafe Noir, I will be getting a box of these. I’m still blown away by how good this cigar is at such an affordable price. At this price, it starts toeing the line of being a “yard-gar.” But this is too good of a stick to designate it as a cheapo.